Coming off a sleepless red-eye at 6:30 a.m., I wasn't due at the
office and couldn't check in to my Airbnb for another eight hours
or so. As far as I was concerned, even after an hour spent
waiting in the passport line, I had all the time in the world.

So I figured I'd sort out the train into the city instead of
hopping in a cab.

Man, was it easy.

Taking the 5.20 euro ($5.80), roughly 30-minute shuttle from
Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal, the city's main train terminal
and transport hub, probably took less time and effort — and
certainly less money — than I would have spent waiting in the
taxi line at the airport.

Later in the week, watching the increasingly familiar stops tick
by on Amsterdam's above-ground tram on my way to Dam Square, I
had a thought: Anyone who doesn't take public
transportation in a new city is missing out.

The more places I'm lucky enough to visit, the more I'm convinced
defaulting to a cab, Uber, or car is unnecessary. This doesn't
apply, of course, to more rural areas where you need a car to get
around, or that dreaded airport-to-hotel slog many people make
with suitcases bigger than their children. But in a major city,
taking a cab or car isn't as much as a luxury as it is a
disservice.

I've written before about
my deep love for hop-on, hop-off tour buses in a new city,
but in many places public transport takes a close second. In
London, the tube is painfully easy (barring weekday rush hour, as
with anywhere) and the above-ground bus system is extensive — not
to mention fun. I was surprised to see how easy, cheap, and
convenient it was to take public buses around the Greek islands
of Mykonos and Santorini. On the
island of Sardinia, impressively clean coaches will ferry you
from town to town, with views over the hills and the sea. The
other day, a tram driver in Amsterdam saw me coming just a moment
too late and held the tram at the station because I "looked
disappointed."

I haven't even tried the subway or buses.

This perspective could be colored coming from New York City,
where sliding into a car guarantees you nothing but privacy. In
Manhattan, driving is not quicker, not cheaper, and rarely
all that much easier than piling on the subway. If you're trying
to get across town, forget it: Most times of day, it would be
quicker to walk.

So I've become used to public transportation. At home, it's
generally a necessary evil required to get to and from work, but
elsewhere, it's an opportunity. Especially in the case of
above-ground systems, opting in means seeing more of the city. It
means getting a better sense of the area's geography, and though
I'll refrain from saying anything trite about immersing yourself
in another culture, it's more interesting than sitting in a
silent, climate-controlled backseat.

New places can be intimidating, cities perhaps more than anywhere
else. But making the effort to try the local transport isn't just
cheaper than hiding in a cab — it's also more fun.